BU: A Frosh Perspective

Hello all! My name is Melody and I’m in my second semester here at Bishop’s. I’ve been meaning to write this post for a while but now I’m finally at that point in the year where I’m really beginning to know my place here. (FYI- I’m on the far left of the above photo!)

I’m from a suburban area inside of Montreal and I study International Studies with a minor in Journalism here at BU. I chose to study at Bishop’s for a wide variety of reasons. I simply wanted to be independent and live on my own and away from where I was used to. Bishop’s was far but not too far in case I felt the need to go home for the weekend. What I really wanted was a college town and not a commuter school which typically creates a great social atmosphere. Bishop’s was the closest and cheapest option in my situation!

Even though I had gone to CEGEP for two years and never failed a class there, I did not have the easiest transition to university academically. This was mainly because I was in a Creative Arts program at CEGEP, completely different from my current Social Science program. One of the greatest things about Bishop’s is that there are so many ways to get help and support, greatly due to the small enrollment. The average of my finals of my first semester went up by 30% from my midterms earlier in the semester! Aside from developing better study habits, I also learned which classes would be better for me and what kind of schedule was better for me. So far I have been going nowhere but up since the beginning of last semester!

I can’t emphasize enough how coming to Bishop’s was the best decision I made. I know people all over town that I can simply walk over to whenever I’d like their company. I have something to look forward to almost every weekend. I’m presented with so many great opportunities throughout my time here like going on exchange to hundreds of destinations around the world and being able to go skiing on exciting hills every weekend. And whenever I feel like escaping the Lennoxville bubble for a bit, I can take a short trip to Sherbrooke, Montreal, Vermont or sometimes even Quebec City! But I’m always happy to return to my home away from home!

One thing I still plan on doing is being more involved in clubs and extra curriculars. I was too nervous to join any at the beginning of the year but that’s all what finding your place is about! I’ll let you know what I get up to!